SOURCE OF WEALTH: Founder of Chestnut Hill Ventures
FUNDING AREAS: Education, Health
OVERVIEW: John Berylson and his wife Amy conduct their philanthropy through the Amy Smith and John G. Berylson Foundation. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded $380,000 in grants from 2017 to 2018. The couple’s philanthropy strongly features education. Their grantmaking also involves health and religious outfits. The Berylsons’ philanthropy has a Northeast focus. It is worth mentioning that the couple is also involved with the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation, a Boston-area philanthropy.
BACKGROUND: John G. Berylson received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a master’s from NYU, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Berylson has served in such roles as vice president of Blyth Eastman Paine Webber, and senior vice president of Advent International. Berylson is the founder of Chestnut Hill Ventures, a private investment firm. Berylson is also chairman of Millwall F.C., a professional soccer team in the United Kingdom.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION: Berylson has supported alma maters Brown University and Harvard University. Brown is home to the Berylson Family Fields, a sports complex. In a recent fiscal year, Harvard University and Harvard Business School each received grants from the Amy Smith and John G. Berylson Foundation. In 2013, the couple gave Birmingham-Southern College $1 million after Berylson’s longtime friend Charles C. Krulak, then president of Birmingham-Southern, invited him to visit the campus. The couple through their foundation has also supported Williams College, The Park School, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Milton Academy, and University of Pennsylvania Law School. The Berylsons have also supported BELL, which partners with schools and districts to expand learning time.
HEALTH: The couple has supported outfits such as The Joey Fund, which works in partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Newton-Wellseley Hospital, and Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
LOOKING FORWARD: Berylson has mainly focused on education and on outfits in the Northeast with his philanthropy. This will likely hold.
CONTACT:
The Amy Smith and John G. Berylson Charitable Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact, but here’s an address:
Amy Smith and John G. Berylson Charitable Foundation
400 Atlantic Ave.
Boston, MA 02110
